Just another night
by xfmoon
Summary: Tag to 1x13 Karma Chameleon, from a slightly different perspective.


**A/N:** I've done this scene before – It's a great scene – but this is from another perspective, and I just thought it might be interesting to see it from another angle. I've had this thought nagging me for a while. Lucy was staying with her mother, and Carol was most likely in the house at the time, so she'd had to have heard this late-night conversation between Lucy and Wyatt.

 **Spoilers:** for 1x13 Karma Chameleon. It also mentions a name from 2x1 The War to End All Wars.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own the rights to Timeless any more than I own the night.

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'What was that noise?' Carol Preston wondered.

It was the sound of incessant hammering that had awoken her in the late hours of the night. It took her a few minutes to realize it was actually someone knocking at her front door, and not remnants of her dreams haunting her.

'Who could that be at this hour?' She thought.

Still trapped between being half awake and half asleep it took her a little while to manage to get herself out of bed. By the time she reached her bedroom door she could hear that Lucy was already running swiftly down the stairs to answer the front door. So, she chose to remain in her room with the door slightly agape, just to survey the situation. It was pretty late after all.

The pounding stopped as the door was opened.

The voice answering Lucy's was male. And it wasn't Noah's, Carol thought with regret. It had to be the soldier from Mason industries. _Her_ Lucy normally didn't have midnight callers, neither male nor female, and definitely not after getting engaged to Noah. She shouldn't even be living here - like she still went to high school - that was a recent and surprising development as well. And no way would a history professor or any other colleague from the University come knocking at their door this late. It could only be something time travel related. It killed Carol a little knowing all of this and not being able to talk to her daughter about it. Keeping the fact that she already knew everything from her. Watching Lucy everyday pretend like everything was normal, not giving away an inch of what she was really doing. At least she took her NDA's seriously, Carol thought with some semblance of pride. She comforted herself with the fact that at some point all would be revealed and they'd be able to talk, really talk again. But that just wouldn't be tonight.

She couldn't hear everything that they were saying, as they kept their voices relatively hushed. As to not disturb her, she guessed. At least the visitor had the decency to apologize for the late hour.

She heard the name 'Jessica', and knew immediately that her suspicion had been correct; it was Wyatt Logan that was the late-night caller. She knew practically everything there was to know about the people Lucy now worked with. Rittenhouse had dossiers on all of them, even Lucy, nothing was left to chance in this organization.

"We're stealing the Lifeboat." The voice belonging to Wyatt said. And Carol's interest was promptly piqued. Maybe she shouldn't be listening, it could be a private conversation, but then again this was her house, and it wasn't like she was interfering in any way. No harm would come from this, also she liked to know what her daughter was involved with. And so, it was that curiosity got the best of her and she remained silent and motionless by the door to her room while the conversation continued, her only regret being she couldn't actually see the people talking in her hall.

She could hear Lucy arguing against the theft, but the protests didn't last very long. In fact, it sounded like she was on her way back up to get dressed and join him on this unsanctioned mission. Why would she do that? Carol did not understand. Her daughter; the one that always followed the rules, and obeyed authorities, would not do something as rash as this.

In the end it was Wyatt that stopped her from doing something stupid, despite her continued arguments. And Carol felt a pinch of gratitude to him for that at least, no point in dragging her, and her good name, down with him. His reasonings were a bit off though. This deal Lucy had made with agent Christopher to get her sister back - a child Carol had no memories of having - was stupid, and if she believed the briefings, bringing that child, Amy, back into existence would most likely mean a hell of a lot of changes she wasn't quite prepared for, one being a road that would eventually lead to her being deadly ill. She shook away the chills those thoughts gave her.

Now they were talking about Flynn downstairs. Rittenhouse, and Carol for that matter, wanted that man stopped as much as Homeland and the Mason Industries team did. But for different reasons. They wanted him gone because he was trying to stop or take out Rittenhouse, stealing a time machine that was rightfully theirs in the process, whereas her daughter and the team wanted to stop a terrorist from destroying history and the world as they knew it. But Wyatt was right on one account though, as soon as Flynn was eliminated or taken out of the picture at least, and the Mothership was back where it should be, Rittenhouse would take possession of both it and the Lifeboat, and the team would be dispersed. And she would finally be able to talk freely with Lucy.

It sounded like Lucy still wasn't fully placated though, trying to argue her case using her history knowledge as leverage. But Wyatt was adamant and nothing took.

Carol spotted a definite change in tone in both Lucy's and Wyatt's voices as Lucy asked: "What if someone gets hurt?" And he reassured her that that wouldn't happen. Then she wanted to know if he'd thought about the consequences, not only for her, but for Rufus, and even himself as well. She had always been good at analyzing situations, and considering the different outcomes and results, a practical tool for being a historian. And apparently also handy for time travelling.

The conversation then returned to Jessica, and how whatever happened would be worth it for Wyatt to have her back. It was then that Carol understood Lucy's willingness to follow, her endless arguments to come along, despite the fact that she herself called the whole idea insane. The pregnant pause that followed Wyatt's remark, only helping to accentuate the fact. It was obvious; Lucy cared deeply for Wyatt, it might not be love, but it seemed to be more than just simple friendship. That also explained the break with Noah, though from the reports she'd gotten it sounded like Lucy hadn't even known him in her timeline, so that breakup might have been inevitable either way.

This really was high school all over again. And this time it was Wyatt Logan that starred as Michael Garrison. Breaking her daughter's heart by not taking her to the prom, or in this case by not taking her on his little extracurricular time travelling expedition. In that moment she wished she could just whisk down the stairs and comfort her child. But that wasn't an option. This wasn't just another skinned knee she could kiss and make better. A whole lot more was at stake here.

Did she hear a sniffle? She definitely heard her daughter ignore Wyatt's concerns, pick herself up, trot on and go straight for the action. Carol had raised her to be an independent, strong woman; a fighter. And she was so proud that Lucy didn't let anything that stomped on her weigh her down or stop her. Wyatt told her what he needed her to do. And that was it, Carol thought, he'd gotten what he came for, so he'd leave now. But then a bit of Lucy's weakness shimmered through, and she asked him why it felt like they were saying goodbye. Carol didn't hear a reply. She guessed there'd had to be some kind of nonverbal exchange between the two, because the next thing she heard was her daughter wishing Wyatt 'good luck'. Lucy was a compassionate woman, no doubt about that. Even with a semi broken heart she wanted the best for the people she cared about. The "Thank you, ma'am" response was a pretty standard soldier reply. But even from a distance Carol could tell that there was some kind of underlying meaning in those words for the two of them.

The door opened and closed quietly. He was gone. And Lucy returned up the stairs to her room. Carol managed to gently close her door before Lucy reached the landing so she wouldn't suspect her of eavesdropping on her. Carol went to bed but didn't fall asleep again right away. Feeling guilty for sneaking around perhaps, or maybe just being fed up about hiding everything. About 20 minutes later she heard Lucy make a phone call, although the words were muffled through the many walls between them, Carol could imagine what the call was about. In fact, not long after Lucy was up and out of the house herself. Leaving Carol alone with her thoughts.

What might happen on this trip, and what might change in response? Carol didn't know. Granted Wyatt was no Garcia Flynn. His aim was not to go around and murder his way through history. He just wanted his wife back. But still the ripple effects were unpredictable. And Carol dreaded the day that Lucy, like Wyatt, would try and go back to save her loved one; her lost to time sister. There had to be a reason for the shift in timelines, a masterplan thought up by the Universe; somewhere out there on a higher plan it would all make sense. She was meant to be alive and well, Amy was meant to disappear, and Lucy was meant to travel through time pursuing a madman and preserving history. And this was just another night in an endless amount of nights in which she couldn't be close to her daughter in the way that she wanted to be. Lucy might not know it now, or understand it right away when it came to it, but everything she'd ever done, she'd done for her. Lucy was her legacy, and Rittenhouse was their birthright. Carol just had to be patient for a little while longer; time had already proven itself to be on her side.

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 **A/N:** It feels so nice to be writing again. Summer time usually means writers block for me, very little to no fic inspiration.

I find it difficult to put myself in Carol's mindset, I like her but she's a bit of a Rittenhouse nutcase. Still I don't doubt her motherly love for Lucy, it just has a weird twist.

I really have been thinking about this scene from time to time. Also, I like the actress that plays Carol, so she felt a bit underused to me. I'm also still a bit annoyed that TPTB screwed her redemption.


End file.
